Beginning in the late 1820s, free traders operated in the Newcastle harbor shipping coal, wool, and cedar. The first customs officer pilot came to Newcastle in 1827 and is believed to have operated from a cottage on a sandbank somewhere in the Hunter River.The House in Church Street, the Miners Arms Inn in Market Square, and a succession of other temporary buildings were used to house the Customs Official in the following years, but were not considered satisfactory by the Custom Officials.[2]
In 1846, Newcastle was declared a free port and a dispatch. This meant that local authorities were "to take the necessary Measures for promulgating the said order in the usual and most authoritative manner."[2] The resulting increase in shipping placed greater demands on existing facilities, resulting in local agitation for a new building. During the later 1860s, 6,000 pounds was placed on the estimates of building a new Customs House. Tenders were called, but nothing came of the move.[2]
By January 1871, plans for the new Custom House were underway by contractor Mr. Fox. The tender had been taken at 7,000 pounds and the building was to be completed within fifteen months from the time of signing the document. However, the builder did not meet his obligations and the project was delayed.[2]
In July 1874, the government accepted a tender by Mr. Jennings and Mr. Pallister. By October 1874, the contractors had enclosed the ground preparatory to erection of the new building. The site selected, and eventually built upon, may have been different to that originally selected, according to a parliamentary address by Secretary of Public Works at the time, John Sutherland. However, an anonymous letter to the Public Works Department in 1874 referred to the "quicksand bottom" of the new site, which prevented establishment of a secure foundation. Authorities seemed to discount this letter, and construction progressed as planned.[2] Additionally, according to an oral history report from the University of Newcastle, the building was built on a convict lumber yard. According to Captain James Fletcher, after convicts cut the logs upriver, they would be sent down and stored on the site before shipping to Sydney.[4]
The original plans for the building no longer survived, but were retraced in 1932. The only outbuildings indicated were the WCs immediately behind the building. By the end of the financial year in 1874, 1,100 pounds had been spent in construction of an estimated total of 13,200 pounds.[2] In October 1876 the last stone was laid in the building.[2]
Although celebrations had been held for the final stone laying in 1876, the building was not completed until the following year. In January 1877, it was reported that the English and German ensigns had been raised on the spire of the Custom House. Between March and April 1877, the time ball was placed in position.[2]
By April 1877, the building, though to all extents finished and habitable, had not been occupied. Finally, in November 1877, the new building opened for business, the baroque "Jane Spiers" being the first vessel cleared from it.[2]
In 1897, a Royal Commission investigated management of the Hunter Board, recommending that a piece of Crown land be added as the site of new offices. As a result, an additional wing was added to the building. It was estimated a new building could be built for 4000 pounds. By the end of 1899 the new building was completed.[2]
In 1924 the clock was recommissioned, and in 1956, a major refurbishment was carried out.[2][2]
In January 1959 a fire severely damaged the roof and the two floors of the building. The damage was originally estimated at 10,000 pounds but had been re-evaluated by April 1959 at 13,000 pounds. At that time, tenders were called for laying new slates.[2]
In 1960 the building gained a new tenant when the Department of Works took over a substantial section of the upper floor. As a result, alterations, repairs, and a thorough repainting of the area was carried out prior to the department moving in.[2]
During 1962, the building underwent another major refurbishing, primarily repainting. At the beginning of that year the main office, counter and scat backs in the public space, Nautical and Ships Surveyor's office, Superintendent's Office, Engineer and Ship Surveyor's office and Examination Room were all cleaned and repainted.[2]
In 1963, the roof was retiled with terracotta tiles. In 1968 a restoration process was carried out on the external stonework. This was achieved by removing the eroded sand and replacing it with a similarly colored mixture of sand and a hard setting resin.[2]
During 1968 the building was first classified by the National Trust of Australia (NSW). In 1970 a report was prepared on the condition of the previously treated external stonework. The report characterized the condition as bad, as the report decided the work in the previous years damaged the stonework's integrity.[2]
This report appears to have had little effect because the works scheduled for 1971 included items such as the continued "renovation" of external stonework using the same compound, renovation of brickwork, replacement of timber gates on Watt Street with cyclone chain wire and replacement of the existing garage doors with aluminum shutters.[2]
The growing awareness of the historical value of the building was highlighted in 1976 by celebrations marking its centenary. Customs officials re-enacted the original party held in the building to celebrate the final stone-laying and the media highlighted the building. In the same year a number of enquiries were made regarding historical facets of the building such as its clock.[2]
In 1978, repairs included general maintenance as well as repainting the stairwell and staircase of the cast wing, miscellaneous rooms, Long Room and lower ground floor rear entrance lobby. In the same year concerns were expressed about the potential damage caused by blasting for harbor deepening.[2]
During 1979 tests were carried out on the earlier stonework and brickwork restoration which was found to "have failed in almost all areas of application" and at the end of the year, there were requests to restore the external brick and stone work.[2]
During 1980 the first steps were taken towards establishing a schedule that would be sympathetic towards the historic value of the building. An inspection led to the recommendation that a management plan be prepared. In addition, investigations were to be carried out to determine how to remove the earlier bonding materials on the external masonry.[2]
During 1981, work commenced on restoring the external stone and brickwork. The general maintenance works of 1983 included repainting the ground floor of the entrance lobby in an "original scheme", reinstatement of the original entrance and lobby doors and the clock tower hand rail, and new light fittings for the entrance lobbies and hallways to the ground floor. The 1985 repair and maintenance program recommended replacement of deteriorating terra-cotta tiles with Welsh slates and reinstatement of the iron palisade fence. More money was allocated for interior "restoration". There was also considerable debate and correspondence over restoring the time ball. The Company of Master Mariners' offered to restore it as a bicentenary project.[2]
In December 1989 the Customs House suffered considerable damage during the 1989 Newcastle earthquake. Between 1990 and 1994, remediation works were carried out and substantial conservation works recommended in the 1987 Conservation Plan.[2]
The drawings for works to Newcastle Customs House by the Department of Administrative Services for earthquake repair and reinforcement works included:[citation needed]
reconstruction of earthquake damaged chimneys and reinforcement by filling flues with cement;
steel bracing of the first and ground floor ceilings;
reinforcement of the tower with reinforced cement render[2]
The Department of Administrative Services drawings for conservation and reconstruction works documented the following:[citation needed]
internal demolition works including the demolition of many intrusive counters, cupboards and internal partitions;
capping off and disconnecting existing extraneous plumbing and services demolition of part of the later toilet block behind the southern verandah demolition of the outbuildings located on the eastern section of the site;
reconstruction of the eastern verandah, balustrade and stairs including windows in the western wall;
a comprehensive stone repair, epoxy patching and replacement program reinstatement of original profile cornices, skirtings and architraves;
new pendant lighting;
new paneled doors to original details;
revision of telephone, electrical, plumbing and fire services;
new slate roof to the main wings and verandah;
new copper gutters and downpipes;
new paint scheme for exterior building elements;
removal of ' the concrete paving from the stone on the southern verandah removal of some trees from the western side of the main building;
new palisade fencing to existing stone columns and plinth wall; &
In 1995, substantial alterations were carried out to convert it for use as a licensed cafe and function venue.[2]
Customs House, Watt Street, Newcastle, NSW, looking towards the Great Northern Hotel
In 2018, the building became known as the Customs House Hotel. The hotel comprises of a restaurant and bar on the lower level and a function room on the upper level.[5]
Description
The building exemplifies the Italianate Renaissance Revival Style, which Barnet frequently employed in his designs. Although the building evolved through two major construction phases the style of the north facing original wing has been faithfully carried through into the rear wing by the later architects under the direction of Government Architect W.L. Vernon. The addition maintains architectural consistency with the original structure.[2]
The building is a two-storey masonry structure planned along an elongated cast west axis. The building is terminated by a 32-metre-high (105ft) tower at the western end and by a slightly projecting bay at the eastern end of the front elevation.[2]
The building is constructed of dark cream brickwork with a battered sandstoneplinth approximately two meters high, sandstone string course and projecting sandstone eavesbrackets. The primary facade windows feature carved stone reveals and are topped with semi-circular arches constructed of alternating cream and black fire bricks. The windows of the "lesser" facades, facing into the rear courtyard have simple brick reveals and segmented sandstone arches and stone sills.[2]
The western end has a 32-metre-high (105ft) clock tower, lantern and time ball, one of three examples in Australia that are relatively intact.[1] The time ball would fall at 1 pm every day until World War II, in which it was stopped to hide it from the enemy.[6] The building has two floors and a basement area.
The building comprises two floor levels and a basement area under the eastern end of the main building.[2]
The ground floor area consists of a bar area, dining rooms, kitchen, gaming room and toilets. The first floor consists of conference rooms, bar areas, toilets and function rooms.[2]
In the northern wing most of the internal spaces retain elements of the first phase of construction. Cedar window and door joinery survives as well as architraves and skirtings.[2]
In the main ground floor rooms and public spaces the plaster ceilings and cornices remain relatively intact and at first floor level these elements generally have been reinstated during more recent restoration works.[2]
The ground floor timbers were inspected from the underfloor space and were found to be intact. The upper floor timbers may be assumed to be intact judging from the unchanged state of the plaster ceilings below. Some modification of the upper floor boards would have occurred to enable installation of modern plumbing and electrical services.[2]
The stair in the base of the tower is a winding cantilevered stone type with a very fine cedar handrail. The stair in the eastern end of the north wing is timber with plaster soffit, also having a cedar handrail.[2]
In the rear wing, the joinery and plaster details are different, being characteristic of the style at the turn of the century. The architraves and skirtings from this period are identified as Type 2, and the windows as Types 3 and 4 on the west and south facades, and Types 5 and 6 on the east facade. The stair in this section is timber with a cedar handrail, exhibiting a high standard of craftsmanship. Many of the ceilings in the rooms of the building have been restored to their original detail in the works undertaken between 1987 and 1999.[2]
Most of the rooms have been repainted following a researched color scheme. It is understood that the colors revealed by paint scrapings were modified to provide this scheme. Evidence of the original colors can be found on a section of the ground floor wall in the eastern stair lobby.[2]
Many of the timber veneer and glass partitions dating from the later part of phase Ill described in the 1987 Plan have been removed and the original fabric has been restored.[2]
Many of the original paneled doors on the upper floor of the building have been returned or restored.[2]
Original/early features of the interior include:[citation needed]
original room layout of the building;
original plaster ceiling roses and intact original cornices;
painted rendered plaster walls and original wall vents;
timber framed floor structure and timber floor boards;
timber skirtings and architraves;
original timber doors and windows;
timber staircases with original stairs, balusters and posts;
The physical condition of the building was reported as good as at 24 July 2000.[7][2]
Heritage listing
Newcastle Customs House was listed on the New South Wales State Heritage Register on 14 July 2000 having satisfied the relevant criteria. The following are selected quotes from that listing:[2]
"The visual relationship to the harbour and the city is significant and symbolizes the associational relationship of the Customs House to the maritime and commercial history of Newcastle."[2]
"The architectural excellence of Barnet's original 1877 building, including external fabric and details, is largely intact. The 1899 wing was added sensitively by adopting almost identical materials and details."[7][2]
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